The entire time Spencer was in the hospital, Toby never left her side. Literally. For hours upon hours he sat next to the seemingly uncomfotable bed and clutched her hand tightly, yet cautiously.
Toby knew what it felt like to loose someone, he had been there before, and promised himself he would never go back.
When his mother had passed away, it scarred Toby and he truly thought he would never have such a special bond with someone again, until he met Spencer.
At first, entering her world was a little bit scary. A lot scary, actually, but once he was in it, he knew it was where he was meant to be. And so, if Spencer's world was lying on an unpleasant bed inside an iritatingly white room, that's where Toby would be, because Spencer's world was his world.
Although he would have given anything to be alone with Spencer so he would be the first thing she saw when she woke up, Toby was thankful Emily, Hanna, and Aria remained in the room. He knew it must be just as hard for them to see Spencer like this and the three of them were probably all crying on the inside, but they put on brave faces for each other. It warmed his heart to know that his love had friends as great as these.
Stroking the back of her hand with her thumb, Toby's heart nearly skipped a beat when he felt her flinch, and her eyes flutter open. Everyone in the room felt the great amount of tension release when Spencer awakened.
Her eyes danced around the room, darting from Aria to Emily, to Hanna, until they landed on what she was searching for. Those baby blue oceans that made her heart melt at the sight of them.
"Spencer" Toby whispered a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. You'd think for someone that was stuck inside a hosiptal room, the last thing Spencer would want to do would be smile, but if Toy had learned anything by now, the woman he loved was full of surprises. So, Spencer smiled at him, and Toby could do nothing but gaze back at her lovingly, their affection clearly filling the room.
Hanna, Aria, and Emily caught on quickly and scurried out of the room, leaving them alone in their moment, promising to return later when the love-fest was over.
The late afternoon sun peered through the window, illuminating the room in a beautiful shade of gold, the light sparkling across Spencer's face. Neither one of them spoke, but they were most definitely communicating. Through their eyes, their bodies, and their hearts.
"I'm glad you're alright." Toby whispered breaking the scilence. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you" he said, kissing her forehead. "Well, I hope you don't plan on getting rid of me yet." Spencer joked, before her mother burst through the door, slgithly frazzled and disheveled.
"Spencer! You're awake!" Veronica said, shocked to see her daughter sitting up and holding a conversation with Toby. "I spoke to the doctor and he said you're going to be just fine, but they want you to stay overnight to make sure. Honey, I'm so glad you're alright." Spencer smiled at her mother, the "supportiveness" still unknown territory to her.
"Thanks mom. Did the doctor tell you what happened to me?" she asked desperate to know what went wrong, because she honestly couldn't remember a thing. "You had an arrhythmia which is a disturbance in the ryhthm of your heartbeat. They're fairly common and harmless, but they want to keep you overnight to make sure you don't have tachycardia. That's when…" "Your heat beats too fast, I know." Spencer stated cutting off her rambling mother.
After a few minutes of painful discussion, Veronica excused herself to who knows where. "Sorry about that" she said, once her mother was gone.
"Don't apologize for your family Spence. Sure, they may not be the best parents in the universe, but at least they're trying. Deep down, you know they love you. Maybe not as much as I love you, but they do." Toby spoke gentley, calming her in a way only he knew how. Spencer nodded and reached out to him, wanting nothing more than to be in his warm embrace. "I know, but I promise to be a better mother to my children. I don't want them to experience what I went through."
Now, it was Toby's turn to nod, as he listend intently to every word she said. "I want them to know I love them and appreciate them everyday. How do you feel about that?" Spencer asked, smiling up at him. "I feel…" Toby replied, leaning down so that his lips lingered by her ear "…like that's a perfect idea."
Spencer could have sworn that fire passed through her the moment their lips touched and her heart burst with love. As much as she wished their passionate kiss could go on forever, Toby had another question. "What would we call these perfect children?" he asked adoringly.
Spencer thought long and hard, sure that hours had passed by the time she came up with her idea. Actually, she had the names in her head all along; she just needed to muster up the courage to tell Toby.
"Well," she began "I always liked the name Joey for a boy, but I would give him a slightly-less popular middle name. Something like Joey Keegan." Bitting her lower lip and blushing madly, Spencer wondered if she could stop there and salvage what was left of her dignity. She didn't know why she felt so weird talking about what she would name her children, after all, the man she wanted to father them was sitting right beside her.
Stroking her hair, Toby then asked "What about a baby girl?" a large grin playing on his face. "I like the name Hallee for a girl, especially Hallee Jade. It just has this breathtaking ring to it. What do you think?" Spencer asked.
"Beautiful names, for beautiful children who would have a beautiful mother." He replied kissing her tenderly yet fervently, fireworks still bouncing between the two of them.
"Spence, you need your rest if you want to go home tomorrow." Toby reminded her standing up from where he was positioned on her bed.
"Toby?" Spencer asked. "Please don't leave me."
Laughing quietly, he stalked back over to her bed lying down beside her. The last thing Spencer heard before drifting off to sleep was a magical voice saying "I wouldn't dream of it."
